Anchor
by sharingank
Summary: He needed an anchor to help him move on, someone to make him see that his heart is good, not tainted by the demon living inside...A little something about the dynamics of the relationship between Gaara, Sakura, and Naruto...somewhat NaruSaku...oneshot


This is just a little something I came up with about the dynamics of the relationships between Sakura, Naruto, and Gaara...I hope you enjoy!

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**Anchor**

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Gaara of the Sand would always have demons, even after he found a way to seal the beast that called his body home into the recesses of his mind. While he slept, he dreamed of the blood that he had shed, of the innocents whose lives were fodder for his insatiable hunger. He did feel remorse to some degree, but he accepted that what happened in the past could not be altered in the present. No amount of apologizing would bring those who had perished by his hands back from the grave, a fact that he knew well.

But he did not seek redemption.

His soul, the minute his father touched his mother's womb, was damned. It would be pointless to pretend that he could ever fully be forgiven for the things that he had done, and he did not try. His fight with Naruto had taught him how to feel, however, showed him that there could be more to life than just merely existing to kill. He never would forget how he had lost that battle, and whenever he came close to slipping back into madness, which he still did from time to time, he reminded himself of how someone with a purpose had proven the stronger, the better, the most powerful of them all...

Uzumaki Naruto, Sixth Hokage of the Village of the Hidden Leaf.

He was the youngest person ever to hold the title, ascending at the age of nineteen after Godaime decided she'd had enough of the job. Because of his valor in the War, and his love of his people, no member of the village objected to Tsunade's appointment of Naruto as her successor. He had proven his worth to all time and again, and it was only fitting that he become their shepherd, and indeed, he watched over his flock with a keen eye and an open mind.

His first official action as Rokudaime had been to grant all three siblings of the Sand honorary citizenship to Konoha, though, to the surprise of many, Gaara was the only one out of the three to actually relocate to the Leaf and make it his permanent place of residence. Temari and Kankuro visited often, but they believed it was their duty to guide the people of the Sand after their father's death. Gaara, for a reason he had yet to understand, felt compelled to leave the place of his childhood behind, and he did not regret his decision.

Two years passed, and Naruto began acting quite mysterious, locking himself up in his overlarge study with members of the Council and not emerging until nightfall, most times. There was much speculation as to what went on in those study meetings, but, as Gaara would come to discover before anyone else, all of the rumors were false.

"I have a bit of a proposition for you," Naruto said one chill Monday evening. He and Gaara sat across from each other in the library of the Hokage's compound, and he leaned forward in his chair a bit. "I'm not really sure what you're going to think of it, but I figured I'd run it past you anyway."

Gaara tapped the fingers of one hand against the arm of the chair he occupied, his forehead slightly creased. The blonde young man certainly had his attention, now.

"Well, go on then," he said, his voice slightly irritated.

Naruto grinned. _I'm getting the hang of reading your expressions, my friend. _

"Onyx."

The red haired shinobi stared, his irritation growing ever greater. _If he ever learns how to come to a point without all this other nonsense, I'll be amazed..._

"You enjoy trying my patience, it would seem," he replied dryly. "And you're quite good at it, too. Now quit wasting my time and get on with it."

The grin never left Naruto's cheerful face. "My, aren't we in a pleasant mood today," he said to no one in particular, and chortled when Gaara's eye began to twitch. "Okay, okay, I'll cut right to the chase. Onyx is a spy network that will link the Sand and the Leaf. My idea, actually, and I'm proud of it, I have to admit. Headquarters are going to be near the Borderlands, and I've got a team of architects out there as we speak. Of course, I'll be directly involved with Onyx as often as I can, but with my other duties to worry about, that leaves me with limited time. Which is where **you **come in," he looked Gaara straight in the eyes.

"I'd like for you to be my spymaster."

Gaara blinked. Of all things to come out of Naruto's mouth, that was the least expected. When he made no move to speak, Naruto continued.

"I know what you're capable of, Gaara. I've seen it with my own eyes. Your information gathering skills are a hellova lot better most people can boast, and you aren't afraid of confrontation. You'll do what has to be done, no matter what the consequences, and that's the type of person I need in this position." He paused. "Plus, I need a go-between, and what better person than one who has lived in both the Sand and the Leaf?" Naruto sat back and allowed Gaara time to let that sink in.

For a few moments, the only sound that could be heard in the library was that of Gaara's fingertips striking wood.

_A spymaster? What is he playing at? He cannot possibly have so much faith in me that he would entrust the lives of countless others to my command. He says he knows what I am capable of, and that alone should make him wary. _

_I am still capable of murder..._

Without realizing it, the crease between his brows became more pronounced as he thought, all but giving himself away to the Hokage.

"You don't have to answer now," he assured him. "Why don't you sleep on it, and get back to me tomorrow?"

Gaara contemplated declining right then and there, but something stopped him, a small voice of reason that had been but a whisper during his childhood.

_Do not act rashly. Your days of action without reflection are over. _

"Fine," he said, and rose to his feet. "I will consider it."

"Good!" Naruto beamed. "I was afraid you'd throw a tantrum and storm out of here when I told you, to be honest, but I got away without a scratch."

Though it required a great amount of willpower, Gaara allowed that comment to slide. With a curt nod, he took his leave.

"Well? How did it go?" Sakura demanded when Naruto joined her in their living room. She was sprawled across the couch, but she moved her legs out of the way for her husband to have a seat.

They had married a year ago, despite their ages, upon Sakura's insistence. It had taken her too long to understand her feelings as it was, and she did not want to waste any more time. Naruto, of course, enthusiastically complied with her wishes. The crush that he'd developed when he was twelve blossomed into much more as the years went by, and he knew without question that Sakura was the only woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. When she confessed the same, it had been the happiest moment of his life, and he was not afraid to admit it.

Marriage suited the both of them. Sakura did not have to worry about impressing anyone, and she often loafed around in sweatpants and a sweatshirt without caring a whit. On the reverse, Naruto did not have to try to be someone else for her, and his child-like sense of humor was allowed to be let out of the cage more often than not. Much of their time together was spent laughing at some stupid inside-joke, or poking fun at each other, or just...talking, about anything and everything. They knew each other so well that at times, words were not even necessary to convey meaning. From the way that Naruto raised his brows upon her inquiry, Sakura could tell that the meeting with Gaara had mixed results.

"Well, he didn't flat out refuse, but he didn't seem happy about it, either." Naruto shrugged, shaking his head. "I didn't want to push him though, so I asked if he'd think about it." He began to rub at a crick in the back of his neck. "It's just...he's all we've got, Sakura. As much as wish I could, handling two big jobs at once isn't gonna fly. I **do** know my limits, even if I pretend that I don't sometimes."

Sitting up, Sakura motioned for Naruto to lean back against her so that she could get the kinks out of his neck for him. He made a contended purring noise in his throat when her deft hands kneaded his skin, and she giggled.

"So much like a little fox," she said absently, her mind already engaged in other matters.

_I think I know why Gaara's so hesitant. Maybe I should go and talk to him myself..._

To her husband, she said, "It'll work out in the end." She smiled, and leaned around to kiss him on the cheek. "Everything you touch always does."

Naruto blushed. "Aw, cut it out. I make more mistakes than anyone."

"I know. That's why you're such a good man."

He could not think of anything to say to that, but his flaming cheeks spoke volumes.

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After his meeting with the Hokage, Gaara began to walk back to his apartment, but he changed his mind halfway, and branched off to the left, where the old, abandoned warehouse waited for him almost expectantly. He discovered this place around the same time that he moved to Konoha, and it became his refuge when he needed to be alone. Most often, he sat on the rooftop, where he could feel the wind brush against his skin, and he headed there now.

Of course, he had not expected there to be another person waiting for him on the roof.

"Hey, stranger," Sakura drawled when he came close enough. She was cross-legged on the ground, and she patted the spot next to her. "I had a feeling this is where you'd go."

Annoyed at her cleverness, Gaara crossed his arms over his chest, though he did sit.

_Damn you for knowing me too well._

The relationship between Sakura and Gaara went back a long way, beginning on the fateful day when he, in his demon form, knocked her unconscious against a tree. While she knew that she should have been frightened of him, there was something about Gaara that made Sakura want to know him, to know what made him tick, to understand why he was so...inhuman.

At first, Gaara was unnerved by Sakura's interest in him, though he never did admit it, and he said very little to her when she asked him things, hoping that she would grow bored and leave him be.

Sakura could be quite persistent when she wanted to. Gaara's not-answers only cemented her resolve to get him to open up, and he came to dread the sight of her petal-pink hair, knowing that he was in for an interrogation.

Gaara never was a very social person.

However, the more she pestered him, the more his walls began to crack, and little by little, he leaked out parts of his life that had been secret to most. As of now, no one knew more about him than the young woman who sat next to him on the rooftop, and he was painfully aware of it tonight.

"Naruto's offer scares you, doesn't it?" She said softly, her eyes looking out over the city.

Gaara had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from becoming angry. It wasn't Sakura's fault that she had him pegged on every count, and he really didn't want to hurt her. In this world, there were very few people who he considered friends, and she was one of them.

_I may as well be honest. She'll know that I'm lying if I don't. _

"Yes."

Her emerald eyes, glowing eerily in the moonlight, turned to him.

"Is it because you think you may lose control of yourself again?"

_How is she capable of doing this?_

"Yes."

She did something that she had never done before, and covered his hand with hers. Gaara barely flinched, but it was enough for Sakura to feel. She squeezed his hand then.

"You're afraid of that, too, aren't you?"

Gaara could not speak for a few moments. His throat had gone dry.

"Yes," he whispered.

Slowly, Sakura moved closer to him until her head was resting on his shoulder. He tensed at first, but relaxed a bit when he realized that she wasn't moving if he wanted her to or not.

"This isn't a very good example, because I never experienced the same pain that you did, but it's the best I can do. When I was little, the other children used to tease me because of my forehead. They called me ugly, and they wouldn't play with me. It really hurt. I didn't have a friend until Ino came along, and she stuck up for me. She was...my anchor. She kept me still, kept me afloat. I messed up with Sasuke. I let him tear me and Ino apart, and I almost lost her for good. We worked things out, and she's my best friend again, like she always should have been.

"If Ino hadn't been there for me, I don't know what I would've done. I needed to know that someone cared about me, someone believed in me," Sakura paused. "You are not the person that you used to be, Gaara. I'm not afraid of you. I'd trust you with my life, and I'd trust you with the lives of those that I care about. You sealed that demon away all on your own. It was your **choice**, Gaara. You could have let it take you, but you fought it back, don't you see? That is **true** strength.

"Naruto asked you to be his spymaster because he knows you just like I do. He can see what I see. You're a good person underneath all the scars left from the lies, and hatred, and contempt...

"Don't be afraid of affection, Gaara," she whispered. "Don't be afraid of trust. No one is going to lie to you here. This is your home now. Me and Naruto? We're as much your family as Temari and Kankuro. We both care about you, and we'll always be here to support you."

There were no words that he could say to reply to such a statement, so he did not speak. Instead, he let go of his fear of closeness, and lowered his head until it was resting against Sakura's while the stars burned bright against the blackness of the sky.

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Sakura slipped back into bed late that night (or would it be early the next morning?) and, luckily, Naruto did not even so much as stir. She burrowed her way into his arms and drifted off to sleep, not noticing when Naruto's eyes opened to look down on her, a mysterious smile tugging at his lips.

"Good girl," he whispered to her before going back to sleep himself. _He'll say yes, I'm sure of it..._

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"So, aren't you glad we had that little conversation?" Sakura asked one day at Onyx headquarters. She herself was the leader of a special interrogation unit in the network, her love of her brass-knuckles earning her the name Spike among the other spies. "You never have a minute to yourself, you're always on the run, and you've got an inbox that's going to have to be looked at soon or you'll get your ears yakked off by pissed subordinates. Isn't this all so exciting?"

The spymaster glanced up from the massive overflow of reports that could not **fit** in the inbox, a crazed gleam in his eyes. The mission he'd recently returned from had been difficult, leaving him out in the field for three weeks—much longer than it should have taken, in his opinion—and now he was greeted to stacks upon stacks of papers that each required more attention than he had to give. He was tired, dirty, **tired, **and **very** grumpy.

"Exciting my ass," he muttered. His manners were much less reserved having spent two years among some of the most trash-talking, no-nonsense people he'd ever encountered, and he'd picked up quite a few choice phrases himself. "I can think of five billion things I'd rather be doing than sitting here and reading this **crap**. It's all mostly whining anyway." He sighed. "But I have to read all of 'em, because something important may be hiding in here somewhere."

Sakura grinned, and patted him on the shoulder. "Have fun! I would stay and help, but I'm a mommy now, you know, and I can't leave my baby with his daddy for too long unsupervised."

"You're lucky you have that excuse," Gaara said, though he could not help but smile. "Oh, get out of here." He waved his hand toward the door. "I expect you to be at the briefing at nine sharp tomorrow, or there'll be hell to pay."

"I'm always on time!" Sakura pouted. "Geez, you make it sound like I'm a habitual skipper or something."

"Weren't you leaving?" Gaara asked, his smile growing wider.

"I hate you," Sakura said, and promptly turned her back on him, flouncing out the door.

"Thanks for being my anchor," he said quietly when she'd gone. The papers stared up at him.

"Blast."

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So there it is...kinda random, I know, but I had it in my head and I needed to get it out.. ::grins:: 


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